The fuel supply systems of larger commercial aircraft typically incorporate a number of separate fuel tanks, to each of which various refuel/de-fuel lines, transfer lines, pressurization lines and vent lines are connected. Furthermore, each of these lines associated with the individual fuel tanks is respectively controlled by at least one control valve. Thus, the fuel supply system is a sophisticated arrangement of interconnected tanks and lines and the operation of the numerous individual valves is usually managed by a computer-regulated valve control system. Such a control system includes at least one processor which generates control signals to be output to the valves and monitors feedback from sensors and from the valves themselves to regulate the operation of the fuel supply system.
Ground tests conducted on an aircraft, e.g. during the assembly or commissioning of new aircraft, require a series of tests to check whether or not the processor is correctly interpreting feedback signals from the valves. Conventional techniques for conducting such tests have had a high manual component, making them time consuming to conduct, which in turn leads to longer production times and increased production costs.
Accordingly, the present invention aims to provide a method and an apparatus for testing a valve control system in an aircraft fuel supply system, and in particular, for testing the operation and performance of the computer processor in the valve control system, which is simple to implement and which is optimized from both a time and a cost perspective.